(CNN) – President Obama is calling on Congress to pass a bill to help farmers respond to the nation’s intense drought, saying, “Too many Americans are suffering right now to let politics get in the way.”

“Many folks are seeing their livelihoods dry up in front of their eyes,” said Obama in the White House's weekly address. “And if we don’t get relief soon, Americans everywhere will start feeling the pinch, with higher prices on grocery store shelves all across the country.”FULL POST

(CNN) – Republicans are calling on President Obama and the Democratic-controlled Senate to act before sequestration takes place at the beginning of next year, saying cuts to the military are "not the way to address America's fiscal challenges."

In the Republican weekly address, Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi begins by explaining how, after the failure of the budget "super-committee" in November of last year to come up with a solution to face the nation's rising debt, the resulting automatic, across-the-board cuts, largely affecting the military with $487 billion in defense cuts, were set in place.FULL POST

(CNN) - Just hours before Mitt Romney is expected to announce his running mate Saturday morning–which three sources told CNN would be Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin–the House Budget Committee chairman's name was added to Romney's official website URL: RomneyRyan.com.

The address leads to the website's home page that features a graphic touting "America's Comeback Team," though it doesn't list Ryan's name on the website itself.FULL POST

Polls show Americans are largely unsure of Ryan, who chairs the House Budget Committee. A CNN/ORC International survey taken August 7-8 showed 54% of those polled saying they didn't know enough about Ryan to form an opinion. Twenty-seven percent said they viewed the Wisconsin congressman favorably and 19% viewed him unfavorably.FULL POST

Manchester, New Hampshire (CNN) - Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, widely speculated to be a top contender to be Mitt Romney's running mate, said late Friday that he had not received a phone call from the presumptive GOP nominee about Romney's choice as news was breaking that Romney would announce his pick on Saturday.

"I did not get a phone call from him tonight," Pawlenty told CNN, adding that he's keeping his campaign schedule in New Hampshire on Saturday.FULL POST